Electronic Scale and a Processor for the Care of Weight Change

• US 20100089665A1
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NL Giken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NL Giken, Inc.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Masahide
• Granted Patent: US 8,680,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 177/25.120
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/44 for weighing persons
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3735 using a digital network

Abstract

An electronic scale functions in a normal and a high sensitivity measurement regions. The weights of mother alone and mother plus infant are measured in the high sensitivity region. The difference between the two measurements is the weight of infant alone, which is displayed with a finer scale interval than the normal one. The high sensitivity region is automatically shifted for covering the two measurements. The degree of shift is stored to correct the absolute mother weight. The infant weight is transmitted to a mobile phone, which displays growth curve of infant in comparison with a statistics growth curves provided by a server through the internet. The infant weight is uploaded to the server for incorporation into the statistics. The statistics is based on data gathered form a plurality of mobile phones, which are each authenticated to increase reliability of the statistics against false weight data upload.

Claims

1. An electronic scale for measuring a weight comprising:

a weight sensor arranged to measure a weight of a load on the weight sensor for producing a measurement output;

a memory arranged to store a first measurement output produced by the weight sensor;

a controller arranged to calculate a difference weight between the first measurement output and a second measurement output produced by the weight sensor; and

a display arranged to display a measurement output with a first scale interval and to display the difference weight with a second scale interval finer than the first scale interval.

2. The electronic scale according to claim 1, wherein the weight sensor is capable of functioning both in a normal region and in a high sensitivity measurement region in which the output of the weight sensor more sensitively changes against the change in the load thereon than in the normal region, wherein the first and second measurement outputs are produced in the high sensitivity measurement region for the display of the difference weight with the second scale interval.

3. The electronic scale according to claim 2, wherein the normal region exists on both sides of the high sensitivity measurement region.

4. The electronic scale according to claim 2, wherein the weight sensor is so arranged that the high sensitivity measurement region is shifted to cover both the first and second measurement outputs.

5. The electronic scale according to claim 4, wherein the weight sensor is so arranged that the high sensitivity measurement region is automatically shifted in response to the measurement output.

6. The electronic scale according to claim 4, wherein the memory is arranged to store the degree of shift of the high sensitivity measurement region to correct the first measurement output into an absolute weight which is free form the shift of the high sensitivity measurement region.

7. The electronic scale according to claim 1, wherein the first measurement output is for the weight of a mother alone, the second measurement output is for the weight of the mother with an infant in her arms, and the difference weight is for the infant alone, whereby the weight in a finer unit for the infant alone is displayed in the second scale interval finer than the first scale interval for an adult.

8. The electronic scale according to claim 1 further comprising a processor for the care of weight change.

9. The electronic scale according to claim 8, wherein the processor is for the care of growth of an infant.

10. The electronic scale according to claim 1 further comprising a communicator arranged to transmit the measured weight information to an outside processor for the care of weight change.

11. The electronic scale according to claim 10, wherein the outside processor is a mobile phone.

12. The electronic scale according to claim 10, wherein the outside processor is a database arranged to provide statistics information for the care of weight change.

13. A processor for the care of weight change in cooperation with an electronic scale for measuring a weight comprising:

a first communicator arranged to receive weight information from the electronic scale;

a second communicator arranged to receive statistics information for the care of weight change from an outside database;

a memory arranged to store the weight information received by the first communicator and the statistics information received by the second communication; and

a display arranged to retrieve the weight information and the statistics information from the memory for displaying them in a comparative manner.

14. The processor according to claim 13, wherein the processor is a mobile phone.

15. The processor according to claim 13, wherein the weight information is for an infant and the outside database is for the care of growth of infants, and wherein the display is arranged to display the weight information and the statistics information in the form of comparative growth curves in the growth chart.

16. The processor according to claim 13 further comprising a third communicator arranged to transmit the weight information to the outside database, wherein the transmitted weight information is incorporated into the statistics information received from the outside database.

17. The processor according to claim 16, wherein the processor is a mobile phone, and wherein the second and third communicators are the phone line.

18. A processor for the care of weight change with a database in cooperation with a plurality of mobile phones comprising:

a first communicator arranged to receive weight information from a plurality of the mobile phones;

a memory arranged to store the weight information received by the first communicator;

a processing unit arranged to process the weight information in the memory with the received weight information incorporated into a statistics information; and

a second communicator arranged to provide each of the mobile phones with the statistics information.

19. The processor according to claim 18, wherein the weight information is for an infant and the processor is for the care of growth of infants, and wherein the statistics information relates to the statistics growth chart of infants.

20. The processor according to claim 18 further comprising an authenticator of each of the mobile phones as a condition for incorporating the received weight information into the statistics information and for providing each of the mobile phones with the statistics information.